Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk clinched a bronze medal at the World Triathlon Championship Series event held in Weihai, China, on Saturday. The 32-year-old athlete from Oak Bluff, Manitoba, completed the race in one hour, 41 minutes, and 25 seconds. Switzerland’s Max Studer secured the gold with a time of 1:41:08, while Spain’s David Campero Del Campo finished ahead of Mislawchuk by seven seconds to claim the silver medal.
Mislawchuk started the race with a 1.5-kilometer swim, finishing in 18 minutes and 39 seconds. He then tackled the 38.6-kilometer bike course in 51 minutes and 53 seconds before completing the final 10-kilometer run in 29 minutes and 35 seconds. Expressing his excitement, Mislawchuk stated, “It’s been seven years with many near misses, but nothing compares to standing on the WTCS podium competing against the world’s top athletes. I seized an opportunity today and made a move three kilometers into the run. Throughout the last five kilometers, I reminded myself that this is the daily training payoff. It’s a great feeling to achieve this at the highest level.”
Unfortunately, fellow Canadian Liam Donnelly did not finish the race. In the women’s category, Canada’s Desirae Ridenour matched her career-best eighth-place finish for the second consecutive season. The 26-year-old competitor from Cowichan Bay, British Columbia, completed all three segments in 1 hour, 50 minutes, and 58 seconds.
The women’s gold medal was claimed by France’s Cassandre Beaugrand with a time of 1:49:20. Beth Potter from Great Britain secured the second spot in 1:49:26, while Germany’s Lisa Tertsch completed the podium with a time of 1:49:44. Emy Legault from L’Île Perrot, Quebec, finished 30th with a time of 1:55:54.